The adventures of Salem Silverthorn
by WiCkEdAvEnGeD
Summary: Salem is an orphan who lives in london, who finds out she is a witch and goes to school with Harry's parents, Sirius, Remus, Peter and Snape.
1. Chapter 1 life at the community home

**ok, well obviously i do not own the harry potter series.**

Salem opened her eyes to start the day with dull acceptance. Nothing ever changed at the community home where she lived. Everyone got up, went to the mess hall, went to school, came home and did their assigned chores for the week, ate lunch, had social hour, finished homework, ate dinner, then got ready for bed. Same routine, although during summer when there was no school, most of the kids just lounged in the common room. Salem got up and got ready for another bleak day. It was the first of July and they had about two months before their school started in the fall. She got dressed and went down to the kitchen for a small snack.

The cook, Ms. MaryAnn, was the only person in the Home who Salem considered a friend. She was a sturdily built lady in her mid 40's. She had light brown hair with a touch of grey, watchful blue eyes and soft features. They were completely opposite in this way. Salem had long, straight, silky jet-black hair with dark green eyes and aristocratic features. Her face was angled and looked like a panther poised for graceful action. She was very skinny and not very tall, though she was not the shortest of her age group. She smiled and greeted Ms. MaryAnn. The cook returned the smile and handed the young girl a warm piece of cinnamon bread wrapped in a napkin to take back to her room although it was technically against the rules to take food into the dorms. Salem hid the warm treat in her sweater pocket and quietly returned to her room.

She did not share a room with anybody. After all, who would want to share a room her? Most people in the Home had a room to themselves, but people with the bigger rooms were the ones to share if someone new came. It was extremely empty when Salem was brought to the community home. Eventually, when she was allowed out of the nursery and told to pick a room, she had gotten the idea and picked a small room with a door almost unnoticed by anyone who was not familiar with the hallway. It was a good spot. It allowed quick enter and exit and wasn't too far from the bathroom. The hallway and the common room was on the second story, while the offices, kitchen, and mess hall was on the first story.

She closed the door to her room and sat down on the bed. She looked at the book she was reading before she fell asleep, "Barley and Mart's guide to animal behavior" it was really her only possession and she cherished it dearly. It was a present from Ms. MaryAnn for her 8th birthday. It had been wrapped and delivered with a chocolate cupcake with a candle when she woke up. That had been the day that Salem had realized she could call the kind cook a friend. She still had the card in the cook's swirly handwriting, and had it taped to the inside of the cover. She had read it at least fifty times, never getting tired of it. She loved to go to the library, and whenever the time came when the children were allowed to walk the four blocks down to the quiet building, Salem would check out arm loads of books, as many as she could carry, and return to the Home and start reading. This had allowed her to stay busy during the summer, since she could not do any school related work since her summer reading was not a large list and as a result, she had finished it within the first two weeks of school being released. She was a good student, and always did all her work, but she wished she had more of a challenge, but her teachers insisted that she stay with the group.

She stayed in her room for almost eight hours, skipping lunch, and when she came down to set up for dinner, which, along with washing dishes, was her weekly chore, she bumped into three kids who blocked her way. She looked up, and not to her surprise, saw Ingrid and her two henchmen, Jasper and Jared. She sneered and said, "Where are you going freak?" her two body guards found this very funny and started snickering to themselves.

"Kitchen duty" Salem replied in a bored tone, she knew all too well where this was going. She was almost rid of the bruises and scratches from last time and got the feeling that there would be more where they had come from.

"Having a good chat with your only friend? The cook? Still cant make any real friends? Ha! No wonder you haven't gotten adopted yet!" she taunted.

"Oh? And you are still here cause….?" Salem asked calmly. That only gained her punch to the ribs from the goon to her left.

" I happen to be here because I am waiting for the best possible family to adopt me, where as you, would be lucky if any family wanted to adopt you"

"Yeah, cause who wouldn't want a bossy, sassy, high-maintenance daughter like you?" she said, voice dripping with sarcasm. Sometimes she couldn't help it. Her mouth had a mind of its own. It would probably get her into real trouble one of these days.

Ingrid's face turned flushed with anger and she snapped her fingers and almost at once her two goons had her almost a foot off the ground and dragged her out into the ally beside the building. Salem was slammed into the stone wall and landed with a small thud. Ingrid had really long nails and dug them down her shoulder and whispered, "one of these days, you are going to say something, and my restraint will snap. On that day, you will be very sorry. You will wish you had just taken my offer the day you met me." And with that, they reentered the Home.

When Ingrid had first come to the home, she had offered the job of personal assistant, in other words her slave, to Salem. She had refused and Ingrid had been furious. And that was when the harassment had begun.

Salem had her nails at points, however she didn't have the time to use them today. 'Next time' she vowed. Picking herself up. She snuck into the garden gate, and then through the back door. Ms. MaryAnn gave her a questioning stare but didn't say anything. Salem just gave her a casual shrug. The cook new about the abuse that Salem took but at her request, said nothing. She also never said anything about Salem being outside the community home grounds without permission. Seeing as she was only ten, she was not allowed to go outside at all without permission from and adult. Ingrid and her goons were fourteen and therefore, allowed out on the street before dark unless told otherwise. Wordlessly, Salem started setting up for dinner. She helped with everything that needed doing, even though it was not required of her. After dinner, she washed and put away all the dishes and helped clean and sweep the kitchen, another un-required job but Salem they both enjoyed the company. When they were done, Salem headed up to bed.

The next week was much like that day, and not much happened. Their library day was canceled due to rain, so everybody with books due, gave them to Mrs. Murry, who took them by car to the old library. There wasn't much to do after that, so Salem just looked out her window and watched cars go by.

July 8th started off as a very dull Thursday morning. The weather was starting to clear up, and everybody was sick with cabin fever. Eventually Salem got a knock on the door from a blonde boy about a year or so younger than her. He handed her an envelope with a wax seal.

"You are Salem Silverthorn yeah?" He asked.

Salem nodded and accepted the letter. Odd, she thought. She never got letters. From anybody. She sat down on her bed and broke the seal. On the flap, she noticed, was a shield in green ink, with four sections. In each section was a different animal. There was a badger, eagle, serpent, lion and a capital H in the middle accompanied below with a phrase saying "_Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus" _which she eventually translated to mean 'let sleeping dragons lie'. She opened the letter and read it out loud to make sure she wasn't imagining things. The letter read:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Mss. Silverthorn,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Salem took a deep breath. Surely this was not real. But really, could anybody make up something so close to what Salem had been wishing for so deeply? She remembered the time when she was seven, Ingrid had written a letter to her pretending to be her real parents. After she had figured out it was a fake, Salem hadn't come out of her room for a week. And when she finally did, it was only because she had gotten pneumonia and had to be taken to a doctor. But this was written so neatly, and was very formal. It was hard to believe that someone like Ingrid or her goons could come up with something as elaborate as this. She read took the second sheet of parchment and read it. It stated:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

of WHICHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

sets of plain work robes (black)

plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)

by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi

by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection

by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand

1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students may also bring and owl OR a cat OR a toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

The last line made Salem chuckle to herself. 'Yes, because of all the things I might take to school, a broom would of course be the most important…" she thought with heavy sarcasm. Then she realized what the broom would be for and almost shrieked with delight. If this was real she would learn to actually fly on a broomstick! She clutched at the pieces of parchment and held them tightly to her chest and ran downstairs.

Ms. MaryAnn was working about to go down to the market to get fresh ingredients for supper when Salem almost crashed into her at full speed.

"Ms. MaryAnn! Ms. MaryAnn! Look what I have got!" she said and pushed the first letter into the cook's hands.

Ms. MaryAnn took the letter and got a thoughtful look on her face. "My my, isn't this interesting." She said.

"I am going to go show the warden!" The warden was the name that everyone called the woman who was in charge of the community home. she was kind, but strict. Salem knocked on the front door to her office and heard her call: come in.

Mrs. Murry was sitting at her desk looking at some files and turned her attention to Salem. "What can I do for you Miss Silverthorn?" she asked.

Salem handed her the papers and the envelope to the warden and sat in a chair across the desk.

After a few moments she looked over the desk and said in a clear but not unkind voice "I do not know who sent this letter, Miss Silverthorn, but I doubt that there is such thing as a school of witchcraft and wizardry. I am sorry to have to tell you this, but this is probably someone's stupid idea of a joke. I would kindly ask that you pay no attention to it until I can look into it further when I have the time."

Salem felt the back of her eyes get tingly, but she refused to cry. Crying did nobody any good in the Home and she would not waste time shedding tears. "Thank you Mrs. Murry. I wont. May I please have the letter back?" she asked.

"Once again, I am sorry, but I will be keeping them in order to try and find out who sent them and why." Came the blunt reply.

The sting behind her eyes where becoming worse so she quickly dismissed herself and quickly walked up to her room and closed the door. She hated her life. She hated the community home. She hated everyone in the Home for making her an outsider, even at school. Salem had never felt so much furry inside her body before. Before she knew what had happened, she was shielding herself from shattered glass from the window that had broken for no reason. She smiled inwardly, she _knew_ the letter was real. _She_ had made the window shatter. _She_ was a witch.


	2. Chapter 2 Hagrid

Although she couldn't use it, Salem felt the magic inside her. It was simmering, waiting to be tried. She had tried to tell Mrs. Murry what had happened, but was told that she needed to be honest and not to tell these lies. After a half hour of arguing, Salem decided she wasn't getting anywhere, so she said she had threw a rock at the window because she was angry. This excuse was quickly accepted and a small punishment was given. But doing kitchen work for a week along with that weeks sweeping chore really wasn't that bad. It was knowing that she had been so close to getting out of there, and then being denied and ignored, that was the real punishment. But there was nothing she could do about it.

Three weeks passed and nothing changed. There had been an optional trip to the market that day, and almost the whole building was empty. Mrs. Murry had stayed behind with the infants who could not be taken, and any children who wished to stay behind. The only ones to stay behind were Salem and the little blonde haired boy, who's name was Jeremiah.

He was a quiet boy who didn't say much. That day they were both in the common room when he surprised both of them by asking Salem if she knew how to play chess. She said yes and he asked her if she could teach him. It seemed like a nice way to spend the day since she had just turned in her library books and didn't have much to do so she said she would. They sat down at a small table and she started explaining the moves of each piece and then the basic rules. He said he understood, so they started a game. He did well and got the basic feel for the game.

It was almost six when there was a large knock on the door. The two children exchanged a baffled glance and wondered who it could be since the rest of the kids were due to be home around eight. Without a word, they both silently got up and snuck down the stairs to get a peek at the visitor, and perhaps find out the reason for their visit. They snuck downstairs to see Mrs. Murry's office door close and knew that this visitor had let himself in. they could tell it was a man because he had started to speak and he had a loud voice that they could hear from the bottom of the stairs. They moved closer and listened eagerly.

"It is my understanding that you have received the letter from the school?" the man asked.

"Yes, but I was not entirely sure that such a school existed. I was concerned for the wellbeing of Miss Silverthorn and did not want her to be disappointed if it turned out to be just a fake letter from one of her tormentors." Said Mrs. Murry informed him.

'Blimey! They're talking about me! About Hogwarts!' Salem thought. The boy leaned over and whispered, "I heard your name, what are they talking about?" he asked.

She whispered back "I got a letter a few weeks ago that said I had been excepted to a special magic school. Remember how I broke my window?" he nodded, "well I did that with magic because I was so angry that she had dismissed my letter so quickly."

"Oh. Wait- that letter I delivered to you?" she nodded, "so that was a letter telling you that you can do magic and can learn spells and stuff?" once again, she nodded. "That is so cool!" he smiled.

She returned the smile and they continued to eavesdrop.

"I was sent here by professor Dumbledore to check in on Salem because we have yet to receive her owl. I am sure he will understand the delay, if I may ask, when do you think Salem will be able to get her school supplies? I am on a trip to diagon alley tomorrow and I could take her meself if you would rather she had help." The man offered in a cheery tone.

"im not sure if she will be able to attend this school sir. You see, although we are well off in the Home, we are on a somewhat restricted budget, Salem's parents left her with nothing after they died and we just don't have the money to send her to such a school." Mrs. Murry said in a subdued voice. She truly felt bad for not being about to send one of her orphans to such a wonderful sounding school. Salem felt her heart sink.

"There is no need to worry about such things ma'am, it has all been taken care of. All that is required is that she come to diagon alley, to get her supplies. As I said before, I would be happy to take her since she will probably be needing someone who knows their way around." Said the man.

"If you are sure, then I would be happy to help in any way I can. Would you like to meet her? She and another child decided to stay here instead of on the outing. I believe they are playing chess upstairs." Said Mrs. Murry in a delighted tone.

"Why yes, yes I would indeed." Said the man in an equally delighted tone.

At that, the two eavesdropping children silently raced upstairs and resumed their previous game of chess.

The sound of large footsteps climbing the stairs alerted them to the arrival of the grownups. They turned to properly view the visitor for the first time and both children's eyes grew wide. The visitor was a giant. Quite literally, he was at least eight feet high, minimum. He could barely fit through the narrow framework. He shook each of their hands in massive ones. He had thick and frizzy brown hair and beard. He had friendly brown eyes and a kind smile.

"Hello Salem," he greeted her. "Are you aware of your ability to use magic?" he asked.

"Well, I wasn't sure until a few weeks ago, when I broke the window in my room."

"Ah, well I thought you might. But when we did not receive your owl, the headmaster sent me to check up on you to see if there were any complications." The large man explained. "My name is Rubius Hagrid, keeper of keys, game and grounds at Hogwarts." He introduced himself. "But you may just call me Hagrid. Now, considering what I've heard, it sounds like you might not know exactly what Hogwarts is."

"It's a school, isn't it? I read the letter but I thought it was just a fake letter from someone. Is there really a school of magic?"

"Yes indeed. And it looks like you will be attending this year if you wish to." The last statement was somewhat a question and Salem nodded her head. "Excellent, the headmaster shall be most pleased. I suppose you have seen that the items on your list wont likely be found in any muggle store, so how bout tomorrow, you and I go down to diagon alley to fetch your supplies, eh?"

"That sounds wonderful! But how will I get to Hogwarts? I have never heard of such a place before."

"Why, you will take the train of course!" he spoke as if this was the most basic information and she should at least know that. "Well, I'd best be off. Business to do, places to be, people to speak with and such. I will come by around noon to take you into town. Goodbye." He started walking down the stairs and gave a wave as he disappeared from view.

The three remaining people in the room just stood gaping. They could hardly believe what had just occurred. After a small amount of time reflecting on what was happening, Mrs. Murry faced the children and said, "Alright, lets get this straight, Salem, you are to met Mr. Hagrid outside the Home at noon. I do not want the other children to know about any of this magic business. Jeremiah, this means that you are to remain silent about all of this. None of this is to be repeated to anyone for any reason, both of you must not breathe a word no matter what. Do you understand?" when both children nodded their heads she went on. "Salem, I am going to tell anyone who asks that you received a scholarship to a special animal studies school. This will be easy to believe since everyone knows of your love for animals. When you return for the summer, all magic is to be suspended until you return to the school. I will take you to King's Cross station and drop you off at exactly 10:30 with your ticket on August 31st. understand?"

"Yes Mrs. Murry! Thank you so much!" and for the first time since she was five, hugged the old woman.

"Alright then, I will be downstairs in my office if you need anything." She turned to the stairs and then turned back. "And here are your letters back." She handed the pieces of parchment over to the girl, and went down the steps.

After a few more games of chess, the the door was opened and a loud clatter of footsteps alerted them to the presence of the rest of the kids. They quickly packed up the chess set, which was one of Jeremiah's only possessions, and quietly went to their rooms for the night. The sound of a movie being started in the common room quickly followed.

Salem was lying on the bed and dreaming about what Hogwarts would be like when she heard a small knock on the door. It was almost eleven o'clock but Salem wasn't very tired so she told the visitor to come in. she was surprised to look up and see Jeremiah closing the door behind him.

At Salem's questioning look he said, "I couldn't sleep, I just wanted to know more about that school you are going to. It sounds really interesting. I was wondering if maybe, you would be willing to let me look at your acceptance letter."

Well, its not like he is going to tell anyone, she thought and handed it over to him. He looked it over and read some parts out loud asking where she would be getting all these things. She replied that she hadn't the foggiest. He sat down at the desk and finished reading.

"That's really great you know." He said. She nodded and he continued. "I wish I were going too. Being able to learn magic. Being away from here. Making friends." He had given the letter an longing gaze.

He looked so downcast, she had to say something positive as opposed to her usual sarcastic comments and pessimistic veiws. In this matter, she could relate. "Maybe you will get an acceptance letter next year." She suggested. "And I will write. I will tell you all about Hogwarts and the stuff I learn." She told him. _'Why did you do that? Promising to write when you hardly know the kid' _she thought to herself. But one look on his lit up face told her that she would have to do as she said.

''Promise?" he asked and she nodded. She knew that now, she would try to write every few weeks.

"Yeah, and you can tell me how things are going here." He nodded and they started talking about what Hogwarts might look like. Salem said she would try to send a postcard with the building on it so he could see for himself. He said he would try to send bits of the paper for her to read and see how the muggle world was doing. They had heard the term 'muggle' from Hagrid while he was leaving and determined that it meant a non-wizard. They talked about spells and potions and the subject that caught both of their attention: flying. They talked until one in the morning about all types of exciting possibilities. Finally, they were both tired and Jeremiah told Salem to get some sleep since she was going into town and he wanted to hear all about it when she got back. The last thought before Salem drifted off was that she finally had a real friend. This thought caused her to fall asleep with a small smile on her face.

Salem woke up around ten that morning. Normally she woke while the sun was rising, but she had gotten the best sleep since she could remember. Normally, Salem only slept a few hours each night, loving the moon but always watching the sunrise. Slowly rising, she got dressed and combed out her long black hair. She went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face and then went downstairs. Ms. MaryAnn was taking out a batch of muffins and two loaves of warm honeybread, something that she had come up with and was delicious.

"Ms. MaryAnn! Did you hear about my schooling?" she asked. Although Mrs. Murry had told her not to tell anyone, the cook didn't really count because she had already seen the letter and had talked with Mrs. Murry.

"Yes I did! Congratulations dear! I am going to cook a special breakfast the morning of your departure. Not to mention I will be the one driving you there."

''Really? Isn't Mrs. Murry taking me?"

"No, Mrs. Murry will watch the others, she doesn't like driving very much and so I offered to take you after breakfast."

"Oh thank you! Do you think that I could bring a friend to see me off though?" she asked hesitantly.

"Of course, and who might this new friend be?"

"Jeremiah."

"Oh good, I am so glad that you both are friends now. You both seem so lonely here. This should be a good month then. Yes?"

Salem nodded and thanked her and went to tell Jeremiah. He was reading a book on the top few steps outside the Home. Salem went and sat down beside him and told him the news. He was thrilled and thanked her for asking if he could come along. He made sure that he would thank the cook next time he saw her. They spent the rest of the time talking about chess and soccer, which they both loved. They sat there until noon and Jeremiah was the one to first see Hagrid's large figure walking down the sidewalk towards them.

"Hello Salem. Hello Jeremiah. Ready to go?"

"Yes. Bye Jeremiah!" she waved as she hopped down the steps. "See ya tonight." He waved back and she ran to catch up with Hagrid who has started crossing the street. They walked for a good twenty minutes before they got to a busy street and they turned down it. They walked for a couple blocks chatting idly. Eventually they came up to a place called the Leaky Cauldron. A young man named Tom greeted Hagrid and asked if he was stopping by later for supper. Hagrid said he was and told him that he would be sending a few things his way and requested that he hold them until his their return, motioning to Salem. Tom nodded and continued attending to customers. They made their way to the back exit and walked into a small courtyard surrounded by brick walls. Before she could ask where they were, Hagrid took out a pink umbrella and tapped a few different bricks a number of times and they started moving. Eventually, they formed an archway that lead to a busy street full of brightly colored shops.

"You brought your list, right Salem?" Hagrid asked her. She nodded and they continued down the street.

"But I don't have money for this stuff Hagrid." She said.

"Well not yet, that why we are going to Gringotts the wizarding bank of course.'' He said like it should have been obvious. He seemed to forget that Salem did not know anything about the wizard world.

They walked up to a large building and entered through the huge double doors. As they walked through the reception area, Salem noticed that the clerks where not human. They were short people with sharp teeth and nails and grimacing expressions. Curious as to what the creatures were, but not wishing to speak up from behind Hagrid, Salem observed them while following Hagrid up to a counter.

Leaning over, Hagrid whispered to Salem, "these goblins run Gringotts, but be careful, they aren't the friendliest of beings." He approached the counter and spoke to the goblin. "Miss Silverthorn would like to make a withdrawal from her account." He stated.

The goblin looked at Hagrid, then at Salem. "And does Miss Silverthorn have her key?" he inquired.

Hagrid reached into his front pocket and retrieved a small iron key. "Here ya are," he said, placing the key on the counter.

The goblin accepted the key and called another goblin to them. The other goblin took the key and said 'follow me' walking to a door towards the back of the hall. They were loaded onto a small moving cart and went zooming off into the great mass of vaults. After many twists and turns, they stopped in front of a vault numbered 182. The goblin got up and unlocked the door under the light of a lamp given to Hagrid for holding. Once the door had been opened, the goblin moved aside and Hagrid motioned her inside. As soon as she saw the contents of the vault, Salem's eyes went wide and her skin paled.

"Come on Salem, haven't you seen your inheritance yet?" he asked her.

Salem vaguely shook her head and stepped inside. Inside the vault was stacks and mounds of gold coins, along with books and other valuables. The goblin handed her a small leather pouch to place a few handfuls of coins into. She scooped some coins into the bag and tied it shut. When she was done she quickly stepped over a pile of stuff, and walked over to a large shelf filled with books and a few pictures in frames of her family, she supposed. She saw one of two adults holding a small girl with thick black hair. And managed to choke out, "is that…..m-me?"

"Yes, this is your family inheritance. Its what your parents left you after they died. They were purebloods, so they were very well off. That's them holding you. I think there is a book of pictures and a family tree somewhere along that shelf. Feel free to take some of these books with you. You might learn a lot about your family and the wizarding world."

Salem found the picture book and took it, along with an armful of interesting sounding titles. Before they left the vault, however, she managed to snatch a dark emerald green scarf made of soft light fabric. They stepped out onto the street and walked into a store a few shops down. The sign out front said it was called Flourish and Blott's. It was here that Salem got her school textbooks along with a copy of a book called Hogwarts: A History. Although she would read some of the book before she left, the book was actually meant to be a gift for Jeremiah. They then went next door after leaving the purchase with the shopkeeper to quickly send to Tom so they wouldn't have to carry around all the heavy supplies. The next items they got were a case of quills in and a box of ink cases containing four different colors and a ball of twine. The next stop was the cauldron shop a few stores down and across the path. After stopping by Madam Malkins Robes For All Occasions, Hagrid took Salem to Eeylops Owl Emporium and told her that he recommended an owl.

''But Hagrid, why an owl?" Salem asked.

"Well how else will you be sending your letters?" he asked

"Um, isn't there any post at Hogwarts?" she asked. "Never mind." She said since Hagrid didn't seem to understand what 'post' was. Salem walked around the store while Hagrid talked with the shopkeeper. Eventually she noticed a tawny owl with black markings and big amber eyes watching her every move.

She walked up to it and was about to reach to pet it when a voice behind her said, I wouldn't do that if I were you." Salem turned around and saw a boy with greasy long black hair walking up to her. He looked down and said "that owl is the meanest in the whole store. I've been watching a few people try to pet him. They all left with bloody fingers." He stated.

"Maybe he is just misunderstood," she said sharply, once again cursing her big mouth. "And why did you warn me if you have been watching people get bitten before?" she asked.

The boy just laughed. "Because you look like a first year as well and most people who got bitten were arrogant people, probably Gryffindor." He stated.

"So you're a first year too huh?" the boy nodded. "And what so bad about a Gryffindorf?" she asked which caused the boy to go into hysterics.

"No. Gryffindor. One of the school houses." He corrected her. His smile vanishing he asked: "are you muggle born?"

"Am I what?" she asked.

"muggle born. Are your parents muggles? Non-magic folks?" he asked

"Um I don't know, I mean, they died when I was little. But muggle people at the Community Home raised me. Hagrid said my my parent were _pureblood_, whatever that means."

"Oh, that's a good thing. It means everyone in your blood line has always belonged in an all magic family."

"Oh." Was all Salem could think to say. A small nudge by her ear caught her attention. She turned around to see the tawny eagle owl nudging her fingers to pet him. She ran her fingers along his beautiful neck feathers and turned to face the boys disbelieving look. She couldn't help but smirk as he tried to pet the bird and it narrowed its eyes and his hand retreated. "Well, it's been nice talking to you, but I really must finish getting my school supplies. Goodbye." She said, picking the bird's empty cage beside the perch and held out her free arm, which the owl hopped onto happily. She walked up to the counter and the shopkeeper, who was surprised that the owl would let anyone near it, let alone touch it, accepted the coins and waved them goodbye as they exited the shop. They brought the owl with them as they went to their last stop. Hagrid said he would wait with her owl while Salem was in this particular shop. She entered and hesitantly approached the counter. A man with hair much like Albert Einstein rolled into view upon a track ladder.

"Good evening Miss," he said climbing down his ladder. "And who am I helping today?"

Salem, sir, Salem Silverthorn." She introduced herself.

"Ah! Miss Silverthorn! I was wondering which year I would be seeing you. I remember your parents meeting in this very shop! Of course, they only made idle conversation then, but I had hoped to be seeing you soon. Now, let me see, you write with your left hand. Am I correct?

"Yes sir." She said, wondering how he knew such a thing.

"Alrighty then," he said going back into his hallway filled with little green boxes. He picked out one and handed it to her. "Well go on, lets see if it's meant for you." He gestured for her to give it a wave. She did as she was told and gave it a flick of her wrist. The flowers in the vase across the room burst into flame and the man had to extinguish the rest with his own wand. "I guess not." He said taking the wand and putting it back and pulling a new one closer to the ladder. She gave the new one a wave and the ladder went crashing into the back room. He took back the wand and the same thing happened with two more. After the fourth try, he noticed a small dusty box that had fallen from the top shelf in his back room and brought it up. "Maybe, just maybe, this will be the one." He whispered, almost to himself. Salem grasped it and felt her whole body vibrate with power. The man watched as the girls face lit up and her emerald green eyes flashed. The smooth black wood felt cool and comfortable in her grip. "That's the one Miss Silverthorn. That's the one." He said in a soft satisfied voice.

"Thank you" Salem whispered as she bought her new wand. She felt extreme gratitude to this man for giving her the tool to enter this new world of magic and excitement. He nodded and gave her the box telling her that the wand was made with rosewood and the center contained dragon heartstring and was 11 ¾ ". She thanked the man once again and left the shop. Hagrid was waiting for her and when she came out they went back to the Leaky Cauldron for supper and to gather her new things. When it came time to leave, they got up and went to the spare room where Tom had put all the items. Salem was surprised to find them all in a brand new trunk with her initials on it. She looked questioningly at Hagrid and he chuckled and said, "well I couldn't have you going anywhere without a proper trunk now could I?"

"Oh Hagrid! Thank you! She gave him a big hug, grinning from ear to ear.

"Your welcome! Just don't forget to come and visit from time to time while you're at Hogwarts." He told her.

"Oh I will! Every chance I get!" she said eagerly. "And thank you so much for taking me here! Its so wonderful!"

"Glad you like it, now we best be off so your little friend won't worry about you." He said. And with that, they took a cab back to the Community Home.


	3. Hogwarts Express and Strange Sortings

They few weeks before the start of the school term was very busy for Salem and Jeremiah. They had poured over the book that Salem had brought back and after much persuasion, she had convinced Jeremiah to accept the present. He had been reluctant at first, but now he spent almost every free second reading and rereading its thick pages. They had looked through all the pictures and details the book had to offer. When the day before the train ride to Hogwarts came, they were almost giddy with excitement. Jeremiah had helped Salem pack all her school supplies neatly and organized. He had also formed a bond with the eagle owl. The bird loved being stroked by Jeremiah almost as much as he did by Salem. They were sitting on the floor in Salem's room when Jeremiah jumped up and stepped over to the window where the bird was resting.

"Your owl doesn't have a name yet!" he exclaimed.

"Oh my god! Your right! I totally forgot!" she remarked, astonished that she could forget such a thing. "Got any ideas?" she asked.

"Well, I don't have much experience naming birds." He mused. "What kind of name should he have? Something soft or majestic? Maybe something dark and bold."

"What about majestic but dark at the same time?"

"Yeah! Good idea!"

"What do you think, Nameless?" she asked the owl. Both humans had to stifle their laughter when the owl threw her a indignant look.

"Come on Salem! You can't call him Nameless!"

"Well, I suppose not. Well why don't you come up with something? I can't think of any owl names!"

"What about…." He paused to think. "Lucifer? Or Algernon?" he suggested.

Salem shook her head. Those didn't sound right. Then a thought occurred to her. She went over to where some of her things laid that she hadn't packed yet. She opened a book that she had gotten off of the shelf in the vault at Gringotts and flipped to the page she had last read. It was a potions book and she was reading a potion that would cause a most unpleasant death. She traced her finger down the page until she came to the name of one of the ingredients. A deadly plant. "Nightlock" she whispered. The owl focused on her and gave a small chirping noise.

Jeremiah nodded his head. "Nightlock. Tis a good name indeed." He murmured. "I think he likes It." he said motioning to Nightlock.

"I do too."

After a few more minutes of talking about Hogwarts, flying particularly, they both decided to try and get in a decent amount of sleep before their departure the following day.

Salem tossed and turned until her clock read past 3a.m. she got out of bed and walked over to her window. She sat down on the windowsill and looked up at the moon. It was full and bright. Around her neck she clutched her tigers eye necklace on a silk black string. It brought her comfort having it all the time. It was her mothers. Although clouds fought for the attention of the sky, the moon shined bright. It was then that Salem felt that she would be able to get some sleep and went back to her bed.

It was still early morning when Salem woke up. The sun had yet to rise. Salem got up, got dressed throwing her nightclothes in her trunk and sat down on the windowsill to watch the day begin.

Watching the sunrise was almost routine for Salem. She sat in silent vigil watching the rays of sunlight wash over everything in sight. No matter what happened she would always be eager to watch the sun come over the horizon. It made Salem believe that if the sun could face each new day, then so could she.

After brushing her hair and teeth, Salem put away all the things she would be needing into her trunk and walked down stairs into the kitchen. Ms. MaryAnn gave her a big hug as she came in and took her into the mess hall to a seat that had a plate full of all her favorite breakfast foods. It had honeybread, waffles, pumpkin and blueberry muffins, and bacon and sausage. A huge grin plastered itself onto her face. "Thank you Ms. MaryAnn! Oh thank you so much!" she squealed.

Ms. MaryAnn just smiled and said she would not have Salem go off and not remember her spectacular breakfast send off. Salem just nodded because her mouth was already stuffed with food.

Jeremiah came down a few minutes later and groggily ate his breakfast. After she swallowed her last bite and washed it down with a cup of hot chocolate they got her trunk and headed out to the car.

After about half an hour of driving, they came to a stop at the curb of Kings Cross station. When they got out of the car Ms. MaryAnn handed her an envelope that contained her ticket and Jeremiah handed her a card. Salem took both and stuffed the first envelope into her pocket. She opened the card and read the handwriting. It said 'Good luck Salem! Have fun at Hogwarts!' signed by Jeremiah, Ms. MaryAnn and Mrs. Murry. Also, a picture slid out and fell to the ground. Salem picked it up and recognized the one that Ms. MaryAnn had taken of them on the front steps of the Home. They were holding hands and smiling brightly. Salem thought it was a great picture.

Jeremiah gave Salem a big hug and said brightly ''maybe next year you wont be going alone yeah?" he was smiling and Salem thought about how great it would be if he could be coming with her.

''Yeah. You and me, causing trouble and having a blast!'' she told him.

They nodded and he added "And if not. I will have to make enough trouble for the both of us." She was hugged by Ms. MaryAnn and Jeremiah one last time before she went to get on the platform.

After goodbyes Salem walked towards the large bridge where she could walk over platforms. She was about to open the envelope when she heard a small squeak by the side. She went over to look and was startled by a small rodent. It wasn't a rat, or a mouse, or anything resembling the two. It looked like a mini-squirrel. After a few minutes of thinking, Salem realized it was a small sugar glider. Not commonly found in London. She wondered what it could possibly be doing at Kings Cross Station. But it was so cute and she just couldn't leave him there. So the little sugar glider was hidden inside her sweater pocket and before long it was fast asleep. Not to be disturbed by anything, even the loud train whistles. Salem then walked off the bridge and off to find her train.

Everything had run smoothly until Salem had opened her ticket. She was in between platforms nine and ten when she realized the problem. There was no such thing as the platform on her ticket. According to it, she needed to get to platform 9 ¾ she didn't know if this was some kind of joke or not, but decided to walk down the platform in between nine and ten just incase.

By the time she should have been getting on the train, Salem was completely and utterly lost. She had gone up and down the platform and tried to ask a supervisor but he had just given her a peculiar look and walked off. Salem was about to start panicking when she heard a voice behind her.

"Looking for the Hogwarts Express?" the voice asked.

"Um, yes actually. Do you know where it is?" she turned around to ask.

The boy behind her was tall with dark brown/black hair. He had clear blue eyes and was smiling down at her. "Yeah, its this way." He motioned for her to come with him. "I'm Serious Black by the way." He introduced himself.

"Salem Silverthorn." She said shaking his hand.

"Oh I've heard of you! You're in my year at Hogwarts. We are both first years. My mom made me learn about all pureblood families before I came here" he explained when she looked at him oddly. "My family is obsessed with blood status. They've all been in slytherin for centuries, along with the Malfoys. Be careful not to get in the way of Lucius. He is really crabby. He is a prefect this year so we will have to watch out. What house do you want to be in? Or think you will be in?" he asked.

_Wow this boy talks a lot. And to complete strangers too. That's going to come back and haunt him one day I bet. _She thought. "Well, I have read a lot about the houses, and if its based on what I have read about I guess I will probably be in Slytherin, but I would rather be in something like Hufflepuff. They sound nice." She said. She hadn't really thought about what house she would be in. but she was cunning and sneaky, not brave or noble. She didn't always play fair, but was loyal to those who she got close to, so she wasn't sure about Hufflepuff and there was no way she would be able to be a Gryffindor. She wasn't the smartest person in the Home, nor did she come close, even though she enjoyed reading. So Ravenclaw was a no. Slytherin sounded awfully depressing. Having to always fight to be accepted. That was why Hufflepuff sounded so great to her. Growing up at the Home, it would be nice to be accepted for once.

Serious looked sorry for her. But he was in a similar situation, so he could relate. "Well, you never know. I want to be in Gryffindor, just to get back at my family. It would be brilliant to see her face when she discovered I was put into a different house. Er, my mother that is." He smirked at the idea. "What about your parents? Are they open to the idea of you not being in slytherin? Where are they anyways? Shouldn't they be showing you where to go?"

"They just dropped me off at the front." She said. _Why did you lie to him? That was stupid. What if he finds out? But then again… having people not feeling sorry for you? How would that feel? You would know if your friends were really friends with you, not feeling sorry for you and letting you hang around. Oh yeah, what friends?_

"Oh, well it's a good thing I found you then. Here we are." He stopped in front of a square brick pillar

"Wha?" she asked before he grabbed her arm and pushed her and the trolley into the wall. She braced herself and clenched her teeth, waiting for the crash. It never came. Instead, she was standing on a new platform. The sign above them said 9 ¾. There was a black and red colored train in front of them.

Serious turned and said, "Well, here we are. Welcome to the Hogwarts Express!" he had a huge grin plastered on his face.

Salem was still gaping at the sight. "Thanks. Well, I guess I'll be going. I hope you get into Gryffindor." She said once she had recovered.

"Same! See you later!" he said and walked to the passenger section of the train.

Salem went to the luggage section and handed the attendant her trunk and owl. With her wand in her pocket and a small leather pouch in her other pocket, Salem boarded the train.

After walking through a few cars, Salem finally gave up on trying to find a secluded compartment and went to look for a semi-empty one. The next one she found had a familiar face in it. She opened the door and asked if she could join them. There was a red haired girl with her nose in a book, a girl with spiky brown hair and the same boy from the Diagon Alley where she had gotten her owl.

"Sure. Have a seat." The red head motioned to the seat across from the other girl and next to the black haired boy. She sat down and looked out the window, they had just started moving. When she returned her attention to the compartment, the red head introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Lily Evens. This is Alice Bishop," she motioned to the spiky haired girl. "And this is Severus Snape."

"Yeah, we met in Diagon Alley." Severus said. "But I didn't catch your name."

"My name is Salem Silverthorn."

They talked until dark and Salem liked them. They were friendly and funny. Lily had a great sense of humor once you got to know her. Alice was quiet at first, but then let loose and was loud and energetic. Severus remained calm, but often added onto the jokes and made them funnier.

After a while Alice started falling asleep and Lily returned to reading her book. Severus was silent so Salem stared out the window. They all had already changed into their robes and had eaten a few snacks from the trolley. Salem loved the licorice wand and Droobles Best Blowing Gum. She was still chewing when they pulled up at Hogsmead Station but quickly spit it out and got out with Lily, Alice and Severus.

"First years follow me!" a familiar voice bellowed.

"Hagrid! It's so good to see you!" Salem said giving him a hug.

"Great to see you too Salem! Got some new friends I see. Not going to forget to come visit right?" Salem shook her head.

"I will come by as soon as my classes end tomorrow!" she said.

"Wonderful, just wait till you meet Fang! He loves company." He turned and raised his voice. "Alright, all first years follow me to the boats." He announced.

"They all got in small rowboats that magically moved towards a enormous castle. All the students' mouths were hanging open, gasping at the incredible sight before them. It was the most awing sight Salem had ever beheld.

Once they had made it through the entrance of the castle, they were led up a staircase where a stern looking witch awaited them. "Now, you will come with me and be sorted into your houses. The houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. While you are here the houses will be like your family. Good behavior will earn you points, any rule breaking and you will lose points. At the end of the year the house with the most points will be awarded the house cup. Now please follow me to be sorted."

She led them into the great hall, which was filled with students already seated. Salem looked ahead and saw a man with twinkling blue eyes and a long white beard. Once they had reached the front of the hall, an old hat was placed on a stool, and to Salem's amazement, started to sing. She didn't quite catch the whole song, because she was caught up in the fact that it could talk. Once it was over the woman took out a scroll and started calling names. The first name was a girl called Sarah Wicker. The hat was placed upon her head and after a few seconds it called out: "HUFFLEPUFF!" Over the next few minutes many slytherins were announced and quite a few Ravenclaws.

"Potter, James," a skinny boy with wild black hair walked up and took his place on the stool. "GRYFFINDOR!" the hat exclaimed. There was only four first years at the Gryffindor table so James was met with plenty of enthusiasm.

"Evens, Lily."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Severus looked downcast.

"Bishop, Alice."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Bones, Lucinda."

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Snape, Severus."

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Black, Serious."

Salem didn't know why, but she found herself holding her breath. She remembered how Serious wanted to be in Gryffindor but how his family was always in Slytherin.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

There was no applause this time. The hall was deadly silent. A Black was not placed in Slytherin.

Without thinking about it, Salem started clapping loudly. Soon, the rest of the Gryffindor table followed, then Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Slytherin stayed silent.

"Silverthorn, Salem."

Salem silently made her way to the stool with the talking hat. The woman placed the hat on her head and was shocked when the hat spoke in her mind.

"_hmmm, now her is a tricky one. I see that you are pure of blood. Cunning and sneaky abilities you possess. Loyalty, smart, but not exactly fitting to either of these houses. Bravery. And courage. Yes, lots of courage, and a desire to prove yourself and earn your power."_

"_Mr. Hat, I think you must be mistaken. I am not brave, and I am afraid. I have no courage. I think I would do well somewhere like Hufflepuff, they sound kind, maybe they would accept me?"_

"_Hmmm. I see. But you are wrong about that. You do have the qualities I told you. So I will make my decision based on that."_

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Salem felt her heart sink. There was no way she would fit in with the Gryffindors. She went and sat down next to Serious, who was waving her over to an empty seat. She sat beside him and across from Alice and Lily.

"Thanks for saving me back there." He said.

"No problem. I would have died in your position. At least you got into Gryffindor like you wanted!"

"Yeah, sorry about not getting into Hufflepuff. But hey, they are boring. You will have so much more fun in Gryffindor." He said trying not to sound to excited. "And at least you have friends in your house already!" he looked like he was going to say more but was cut off by the appearance of food. The feast had begun. Salem had never seen so much food in her life. It all looked so delicious and she wondered who made it. She would defiantly be thanking them later.

After the feast ended, a prefect came up and handed them each their class schedule. Serious asked to look at hers as soon as she got it. He handed it back to her saying, "we have Potions, Defense against the Dark Arts, and Astronomy together."

Lily and Alice took it from her before Salem could protest. "We have Charms together and me, you and Alice have Flying, first term together." Lily told her.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Salem couldn't believe her ears. She had friends. And before term officially started! She looked at her papers and made a mental note to memorize them first thing.

After the feast was over the prefects showed them to the dormitories and told them that the password for the Fat Lady was: Balderdash. Salem thought it was a wonderful sounding word while the boy to her left just snickered. Once they were in the common room, the prefects explained where the dormitories were and how boys could not enter the girl's dorms via magical protection. They announced who was staying in what dorm and Salem almost jumped with joy when she found out that she would be sharing the dorm with Lily, Alice and a girl whose name was Jessica Jasmine. She had curly dirty-blonde hair and was rather timid.

They made their way up to the dorm and found that their trunks and birdcages had already been brought up. Her bed was farthest from the door and next to a large windowsill that could be used as a nightstand or small table for homework. Her bed was a bit farther from the others but Salem didn't mind, she liked her space.

Once she was sure everyone was asleep, Salem brought out the little sugar glider that was hidden in her robes pocket and brought him to the pillow. "Now what am I going to do with you?" she whispered to the little fur ball. "I cant take you to all my classes can I, no, that would never work. And I am not entirely sure that I would be allowed to keep you if you were discovered. Maybe I can ask Hagrid after classes tomorrow! He will know what to do. And maybe he will know where you came from. But for now, you need a name. How about….. Hadley? Like it? Excellent! Since you slept through the whole train ride I am assuming you are nocturnal? Like me. Well, that might be a good thing if I can keep you quiet in my pocket during classes. But just for tomorrow, until I figure out what to do with you! Good night Hadley." Salem said tucking the little creature back under the bit of blanket he had secured by the upper bedpost. Salem looked at the moon one last time and went to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4 First Day Of Classes

**Sorry for the short chapter, I haven't really had that much time to write, but over the winter holidays I will add at least one more chapter. Once again, I do not own Harry Potter. Please review and tell me what you think. thanks! ^.^**

Salem woke up the next morning before sunrise and sat on the stone windowsill. The window had a perfect view of the sunrise over the Forbidden Forrest. She watched silently as the sun rose over the trees. She then grabbed her clothes and went to the bathroom to get ready for he first day of classes. Once she was ready, she placed Hadley in her pocket and took her black shoulder back with her books and quills with her to the great hall.

She sat down and slipped a few pieces of fruit into her pocket for Hadley and started filling her plate. She was rather skinny for someone her size even though she ate properly. She just wasn't hungry very often. She ate a piece of toast and some bacon. When she was done Sirius came in with a group of boys that she guessed were his dorm mates. He sat down close to her and started filling his plate with loads of food. She was surprised he wouldn't explode from eating so much.

"Morning, this is James, Peter and Remus." He said pointing to each boy. "They are in the same dorm as me. Guys, this is my friend Salem."

James and Peter just mumbled a quick greeting and started eating again. They didn't seem like morning people. Neither did Sirius for that matter. Remus however, smiled and extended his hand from his place across the table from her. He had tawny hair and amber eyes. He was taller than her and Peter but shorter than both Sirius and James. He was calm and quiet. Not fidgeting like peter. He opened a book and started to read.

Salem didn't mean to disturb him, but when she saw that he was reading Hogwarts: A History she couldn't help but blurt out. "Oh, that's a really good book."

He didn't look upset that she had interrupted. Instead he turned his focus back on her and started talking to her. "Oh yes. I borrowed it from James. But somehow I don't think he will miss it." he spoke with a pointed look at the messy haired boy next to Sirius.

He laughed and said, "You got a point there bookworm." He grinned and continued talking with Sirius.

"Like I said, this book wont be sorely missed. But what did you think about it? I heard about it and thought it would be a good idea to read it since Hogwarts will be our home away from home for the next seven years."

"Oh I thought it was wonderful! Quite fascinating really! I read it with my friend before I got here. I have read bits and pieces of my textbooks too. Although so far my favorite is Potions. Its so interesting, what you can do with some simple ingredients and proper mixing!"

"I see." He said nodding to the book on the table beside her.

It was the potions book she had taken from the vault at Gringotts. It had a dark green cover and purple writing on the cover. She didn't want to get in trouble for having it since it seemed to contain rather sinister stuff. She covered the writing with a small piece of fabric from a ratty old shirt she had. The rest of the shirt had been stuffed into her inner robes pocket as a bed for Hadley. He was snuggled up fast asleep at the moment.

Salem was saved from saying anything else by the sound of a bell. Her first class was Potions. She could barely contain her excitement. She walked with her friends down to the dungeons where the potions room was since they all had it together. Her friends sat down in the middle of the classroom in pairs of two. Salem, however, walked right up to the front of the room and sat down in the seat closest to the board. The teacher was an old man in bright yellow robes. He smiled at her and seemed pleased that someone wanted to be in front.

Other students started filling in and Salem saw Severus enter looking nervous. She waved him over and he looked relieved at having someone he knew offer him a seat. He sat down and they talked while the rest of the class came in.

Once everyone was there, the professor started writing. He wrote his name on the blackboard and walked up and down the center of the class. "Hello first year Slytherins and Gryffindors! Welcome to first year potions class. Now, my name is Professor Slughorn. I am the Slytherin Head of House, however I will not show favoritism. If you lose points, it is because you have not acted properly, if you earn points, you have done well. Now, whom you now sit with is who you will pair up with for making your potions. Where you sit now, is where you will sit for the rest of the year. Today, we will be going over a few basic potion ingredients that can be commonly found in many different potions. I expect you to take good notes because you will be tested on this." He started writing down ingredients, some of which Salem recognized from her family's potion book. When the class was almost over Slughorn told them that for homework they must list and explain the properties of a basic sleeping drought. Due next class.

After they were dismissed they started gathering their books and Severus asked what her next class was.

"First term Flying, you?"

"Same"

"Great, lets go. I think I saw Alice drag Lily off to their next class, Transfiguration I think, so I guess we're on our own.

Severus chuckled, "yeah, guess she couldn't wait to do wandwork. Not many wizards appreciate potions that much."

This baffled Salem because as far as she could tell, Potions would probably be her favorite class of the year. Other than flying of course.

They made their way to the quidditch pitch where about two dozen brooms were lined up. The students lined up by the brooms at Madam Dolleys order. After they had a hold on their brooms, they mounted and got ready to hover. Madam Dolley blew her whistle and instantly Salem had lifted into the air and waited for further instruction. It took Sev a while to get in the air and when he did he clutched at the wood so hard it had nail marks. Salem snickered and he shot her a look that said 'ha ha very funny' with deep sarcasm.


	5. Huts, Hounds and Sugar Gliders!

**Hi everyone! Sorry for the short chapter, but I am currently very very busy and don't have a lot of time to keep up with all my stories. I hope you like it though, but it might go on hold for a while. Again, sorry! Plz review and tell me what you think, if you don't like it, don't review or give suggestions on how it could be better or what I am doing that you don't like. Thx! -Salem.**

Once flying lessons were finished for the day Salem told Sev that she would see him later and headed down to Hagrids. She knocked on his front door and was greeted with a big smile and a bark. A big black hound was lounging on a giant pile of raggy blankets. She only assumed that he was Fang.

"Hello Salem."

"Hi Hagrid!"

"Come on in, I have a pot of tea that just finished warming up."

"Thank you." She said entering the hut. She walked over to the big dog and let him smell her hand before petting him on the head.

"So how was your first day at Hogwarts?" he asked her, handing over a mug of steaming hot liquid. She took a sniff at the cup and found it was green tea, much to her delight. She took a quick sip and grinned.

"It was wonderful! I never thought I would like a school as much as I do here! Everyone has been so nice and energetic."

"Excellent! I'm sure you'll love it even more as you get to know more about it."

"I'll bet! Hey Hagrid, I have a question about a small animal I found."

"Really? What kind of animal is it?" he asked, interested.

"I think it's a sugar glider. I saw a picture of one in a book once and it said they were mostly forest animals."

"They are. Bit o' magic in 'em though. Muggles don't know that though."

"Well I found one on the bridge at Kings Cross Station." Salem pulled Hadley out of her pocket to show Hagrid. Hadley was still sleepy. He blinked and shifted lazily.

"Blimey. That's strange that is. Never heard of them wandering round by themselves in a city. Most are found in rain forests or Australia these days."

"Well do you know what I should feed him? I want to take care of him as best I can for the time being. I gave him a few pieces of fruit and he seemed to like it."

"Fruit and nuts are a good diet for most gliders. If you give him a balance of those he should be fine. Just don't let him out of your pocket. Teachers wont like the idea as much as I do. They are nocturnal creatures so he will probably sleep straight through all your lessons. Just be careful not to squish him."

"Alright. That sounds like a good plan." She said, pocketing the little glider into her robes. "So what exactly is this quidditch game? It's only the first day and already I've heard a bunch of people get excited over it. I read bits and pieces about it with Jeremiah but I still don't understand what it is. I figure you probably know."

"Right you are. Quidditch is a game played on broomsticks. There are seven players. Three chasers, who handle the quaffle, a red ball that you try to get through three hoops on opposite ends of the field. A keeper defends the hoops. There are two beaters who have wooden bats to hit bludgers away from their players and towards the other teams players. Then there is a seeker. The seeker has the most important job. They have to find and catch the golden snitch. The snitch is a quick, tiny, golden ball that ends the game when caught. Who ever catches the snitch gets one hundred and fifty points. Each goal gets ten. It's a great game it is. Season starts in about a month."

"Sounds great! Do any of the players ever get seriously hurt? When is the first game? Are tryouts soon? Can I watch? What about-"

"Hold on a minute! One question at a time. Yes, players get hurt pretty bad sometimes. Actually it's pretty common. The first game will be announced at the beginning of next month when the season starts. Tryouts are different for each house. Probably be posting them up on the message board soon. And if you really want to watch, you are welcome to sit in the stands and observe. Now, you should probably be getting back to the castle. It will be dark pretty soon and you won't want to get locked out of the castle."

"Well look at that. Doesn't time pass quickly. I guess I will be seeing you later Hagrid. Bye!" She picked up her bag and ran back to the castle.

**Questions? Comments? Review! Thx! And again, so so so sorry about this unbelievable short chapter. **


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